1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, server, image forming apparatus, system control method, and storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rapid functional advances of image forming apparatuses and the like boost demand for updating firmware of the image forming apparatuses quickly and efficiently (at low cost). Conventionally, when firmware of an image forming apparatus needs to be upgraded or updated owing to a failure or the like, a serviceman visits the customer and manually updates the firmware. This makes it difficult to quickly update firmware and raises the cost of updating the firmware.
Recently, there is proposed a technique of updating firmware by transmitting it via the Internet. According to this technique, an image forming apparatus is configured to store firmware in a rewritable storage device such as a flash memory.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-72761 discloses a technique directed to a portable electronic device capable of communicating with an update server via a communication line. The portable electronic device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-72761 automatically accesses the update server at a predetermined timing to request updating of firmware. Upon receiving firmware transmitted from the update server in response to the request, the device updates it. Note that the portable electronic device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-72761 stops reception of firmware when the voltage of a battery power supply becomes lower than a predetermined value.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-293365 discloses a technique directed to an apparatus capable of restoring firmware to an original one (i.e., old version) if new firmware (program) downloaded for upgrading has a bug. The apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-293365 holds firmware including that of an old version, and enables the old-version firmware upon receiving an instruction to restore the version.
These days, it is popular to download firmware from a server by an image forming apparatus and automatically update it, instead of having a serviceman update firmware manually.
However, according to the conventional technique, when the release of downloaded firmware is terminated after temporal release, the image forming apparatus cannot recognize the termination of release and keeps applying the firmware, the release of which is terminated. In this case, release means permitting downloading of new firmware as a trouble-free one for use. The termination of release means inhibiting downloading of new firmware as one which may cause an unexpected operation (i.e., causes a problem in use).
An image forming apparatus which has applied firmware, the release of which is terminated, may be undesirably kept used though it may cause an unexpected operation.